Relentless climate crisis crusader Al Gore returns to big screen with 'An Inconvenient Sequel'

Former Vice President Al Gore says America needs to fight the climate crisis by addressing the democracy crisis, and he's taking that message around the world with his latest film.

Gore will return to the silver screen this summer when his "An Inconvenient Truth" follow-up flick, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," hits theaters.

It has been 11 years since Gore's original film shined a spotlight on the global crisis of rising sea levels, deadly heat waves and increasingly common catastrophic storms was released -- and Gore has only become more passionate about the cause since.

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Gore's legacy as a climate crusader began in 1976 when the then-Democratic senator held America's first congressional hearing on climate change.

"There is no longer any significant difference of opinion within the scientific community about the fact that the greenhouse effect is real and already occurring," Gore said at the time of the urgency with which America must face the global climate crisis.

From scenes at his climate leadership training workshops to a look at how the Paris climate agreement sausage was made, Gore's personal passion for the environment plays a more central role in his sequel than in his original cinematic venture -- shining light on his hectic travel schedule, all-hours phone calls and constant tweaking of his methodically crafted climate presentation.

Gore's movie release comes as President Donald Trump has begun reversing some of the environmental policies of the Obama administration. Trump has already signed multiple executive orders signaling the rolling back of Obama-era federal regulations since assuming office, and is actively weighing the role the U.S. will play as a leader in the Paris climate agreement.

In another setback for environmental advocates, Trump's first full budget plan includes a proposed 31 percent cut to funds for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Trump has previously deemed climate change a "hoax."

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70 percent of Americans believe global warming is happening, according to a recent Yale survey. Still, only 40 percent of American believe global warming will "personally" affect them -- a gap in public opinion on climate change Gore touches on in multiple ways throughout the film.

"An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" is set to hit theaters July 28.